Conveyer system



Jan; 3, 1928. 1,654,688

T. s. KNAP CONVEYER SYSTEM Filed July 26. 1921 .3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jan. 3, 1928. I 1,654,688

T. S. KNAP Al/LL EMPTZ 5i Inventor.

Jan. 3, 1928. 1,654,688

T. s. KNAP CONVEYER SYS TEM Filed. July 2 1921 S-Sheeos-Sheec 5 Patented Jan. 3, 1928. v UNITED STATES 1,654,688 PATENT OFFICE- THOMAS SEYMOUR KNAIP, OF'BBOOKLDIE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOB To run LAISON COMPANY, OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION 01' MASSACHUSETTS.

comm sYs'rmr.

Application med 3111126, 1921. saw m. 4a1,e1o.

This invention relates to conveyer systems andis especially concerned with systems'in which mechanism is employed for automatically switching or dlverting the arm- .6 cles conveyed from one part of the stem to another. It is the chief object of t e in- ,Vention' to devise a system in which the switching or diverting ofconveyers in a pre determined manner can be performed without interruption or attention, and especially to provide means for preventing thebunching or j ammin of the carriers at theswitch ing points. e invention involves both a novel organization of conveyor system and 16 also a. novel mechanism for spacing the carriers in the system.

The nature of the invention will be readily understood from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, and the novel features will be particularly pointed out in the ap; pended claims.

Referring now to the drawings,

Figure 1 is a plan view of a portion of 2| a conveyor system including features embod ing the present invention} ig. 2 is a side elevation of the switching mechanism shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3' is a plan. view'of a carrier spacing mechanism forming part of the conveyor system, and N Fig. 4 is a side'elevation of the mechanism shown in Fig. 3. a

The system shown comprises a conveyer belt 2 having upper and lower reaches, as best shown in Fig. 4, the upper reach being supported on a series of rolls 3, and the lower reach on si ilar rolls 4. The upper reach of the belt tr vels in the direction 1ndi-' cated by the arrow 5, Fig. 4, and in the arrangement shown the carriers A are delivered to this belt by a roller conveyer .6.

The belt- 2 delivers carriers to one or more stations, one of such stations bein designated at 7, Fig. 1, and consisting o a conveyer of the roller type which diverges from the main conveyor 2. For the purpose of diverting carriers into the station, a switch mechanism is provided comprising a'switch bar 8 secured fast to an upright rod 9 which preferably is mounted at its upper and lower ends in ball bearings that are supported-1n a suitable frame work. This construction enables the diverter arm or switch bar 8 to swing freely'from the full line position, Fig.

'ating arm 12 it will swin 1, to the dotted line position and back again.

A trussrod 10, Fig. 2, connects the'diverter arm withthe upper art of the rod 9 and steadies the arm or air. Another arm or actuator bar 12, hereinafter designated the o eratmg arm, is pivoted at 13, Fig. 2, in t e forked upper end of a post 14 which is mounted in bearing brackets 15-15 secured to a stationary support 16 so thatthe post can rotate about'its'vertical axis. The arm 12 thus is enabled to swing both in a horizontalplane about the pivot 14 and also in a vertical plane about the pivot 13. This arm s extended beyond the pivot 13 and has a welght 17 Fig. 1, adjustably secured thereto and of such a mass as to nearly counterbalance the weight of the arm 12 so that the tipp ng movement about the pivot 13 will require very little efi'ort. A truss rod 18 is also connected with the rod 12 to steady it.

The operating arm 12 is connected with the switch arm 8 through a strap 19, Fig. 1, and a post 20, the post being secured rigidly to the arm 8 and projecting into the slot formed between the parts 12 and 19, as clearlyshown in Fi 1. Normally the operating arm 12 is old in the position in which it is shown in full lines, Fig. 1, by. means of a weight 21, Fig. 2, connected to this arm through a cord or chain 22 runnin over'a pulley 23 supported on the upper end of the frame piece 24. The carriers Aeach consists of abox havmg "d1ssim1lar ends, one end being square wh le the upper part of the'box at the op posits end is bevelled, as indicated at 25,v Fig. 2. The full boxes are placed on the conveyer belt 2 in the-direction indicated by v the arrow 26,v while the empty boxes are placed in the direction ind cated by the arrow 27.- In other words, the full boxes I travel on the conveyor belt with their square ends foremost, whi e the empty boxes travelwith their bevelled ends foremost. Consequently, whena full box reaches the open this arm acro s the conveyor belt 2, as in icated by the direction of the arrow 28, Fig. 1, carrying the switch arm 8 with it, and thereby moving this arm into such a position that it will divert the carrier A into the station 7. The movement of the switch arm produced in this manner is limited by a stop 29. As soon as this operation has been completed, the counter-weight 21 swings both the arms 8 and 12 back again to their original or normal cated in dotted lines in Fig. 2, and the box then will pass under this arm and continue its travel along the conveyer belt 2. The

empty boxes, therefore, will not be diverted.

Since the diverter arm 8 is positioned only a relatively short distance above the surface of the belt 2, its action on the carriers is 'the carrierhas moved onto very positive.

It is desirable at certain times to render this diverting mechanism inoperative, as for instance, when the station'7 -filled with carriers, and also immediately after a box has entered this station and during which, time ity is desired that other "full boxes be allowed to travel along the belt to Supply other stations. For this purpose a horizontal rock shaft 31. is mounted in a part of the frame work and has rigidly secured thereto a plate or arm 32 in position to be struck and lifted by the edge of a box or carrier immediately after it has entered the station. I -The movement thus imparted to the rock shaft 31 istransmitted through'an arm 33, 7 Fig.2, fasten this rockshait, a link a. .1

bell crank 35, a rod 36, and a bell'crank 37 to .an upright rod 38, the upper end of which is turned over as indicated at 39, Fi .1. and

passes through a staple 40 secure to the rearward end of the arm 12. The direction of this movement is such as to ti the operating arm 12 into its raised or inoperative position, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig.

'ition until engagement with the plate 321 During. thisperiod, therefpre, succeeding carriers'will travel uninterruptedly along the conveyer belt 2 whether the arefull or empty.

2, and it will be held in this carriers be separated. from each other on the conveyer belt by at least certain minimum s ace intervals. For instance, if a'full box to ows immediately. behind an empty one, the operating arm 12 may not drop in time to catch it. For this purpose an autoinatic spacin mechanism of novel construction is-provi ed which is best shown in Figs. 3 and 4. This mechanism comprises a gate 42 which is substantially u shaped "and straddles the conveyer belt, its two vertical legs, one of which is shown at 43,.Fig. 4,

. resting, respectivetliv, on the surfaces of two cams 44 p'ositione v conveyer.v Both of these cams are fixed to at opposite sides of the a shaft 45- which is supported in suitable bearings, The ate is guided in the frame 46 for u and (iwn movement. A gear .47 secured East to the shaft 45is driven by a along the conveyer 1,es4,ese

pinion 48 secured to' another shaft which thereby. This mechanism thus imparts a relatively: slow rotative movement to the cams 44.

It will be observed from the shape of the cams that the gate 42 is normally in its lowermost position, and that in this position it will catch eachca'rrier A and stop it for alength of time depending upon the angular position of the cams 44' at the moment that the carrier strikes the gate. When the cam raises the gate 42, the belt moves the carrier along under the gate and the gate descends again in time to catch the next adjacent carrier and retain it for a certain length'of time. This mechanism thus operates automaticallvto space the carriers elt and prevent any bunching of them at the switching mechanism, it being understood, of course, that this spacing mechanism is placed in front of the first switch so that it acts on the carriers nism will'operate to space only full boxes and will allow the empty boxes to travel along the conveyer, the bevel 25-raising the gate 42 in the same way that it raises the operating arm 12 0f the switch mechanism. Usually, however, it is referable to space both the full and empty oxes.

"It will nowbe appreciated that this invention provides a conveyer system which will operate with great certainty andv reliability, which is of very simple construction, and which is entirel automatic in operation. The construct on is such that wear and depreciation are very slowindeed, and attention is required at only very infrequent intervals.

It will also be understood that while 1 have" herein shown and. described the best embodiment of the invention of which I am t is desirable for several reasons that theat present aware, that this embodiment may be modified in many particulars without departingfrom the spirit or scope of this invention. p

What is claimed'as new is:

' 1. A conveyer'system comprising means for moving articles in a predetermined path,

and means ,for reciprocating said gate member toward and from said path in a plane ins for moving material in a predetermined path, a gate having a stop element extending transversely of said path and substantially parallel thereto, and perpendicular guide members projecting from the opposite ends respectively of the stop members, fixed guides for said guide members, and means for simultaneously reciprocating said guide members in their guides.

4. A conveyer system comprising means for moving material in a predetermined path, a U-shaped gate having a cross bar and parallel legs, guides within which the respective legs slide, and means engaging the legs to reciprocate the cross bar toward and from the plane of said path. 5 M

5. A conveyer system comprising a conveyer, a gate of inverted U-shape having a crossbar extending transversely across and above the belt, and parallel legs disposed at either side respectively of the belt, guides in which the respective legs slide, and cam means for reciprocating the gate to move its cross bar toward and from the upper surface of the belt.

6. A conveyer system comprising a belt conveyer, a gate having a stop element reciprocable toward and from the upper surface of the belt, a shaft extending transversely across and below the belt, cam means carried by the shaft forreciprocating the gate, and means for turning the shaft.

7. A conveyer system comprising a belt conveyer, guides at opposite sides thereof, a gate having slide members engagingthe re spective guides, the gate being reciprocable toward and from. the plane of the conveyer, cams engaging the respective slide members for raising the gate, and means receiving its motion from the conveyer for simultaneously actuating said cams.

8. A conveyer system comprising a belt conveyer, a gate of inverted U-shape having a cross bar extending across the belt and parallel legs disposed at opposite sides respectively of thebelt and perpendicular thereto, guides for said legs, cams engaging the lower ends of the-respective legs, a shaft upon which the cams are mounted, a gear carried by the shaft, a pinion meshing With the gear, andv a pulley fixed relatively to the pinion and engaging the surface of the belt whereby to transmit movement from the belt to the pinion.

9. A conveyer system, comprising means for moving material in a predetermined path, a gate member. adapted to extend substantially across the width of the path and reciprocable from a normally elevated position perpendicularly into the path and from the path, means for reciprocating said gate and means governing said reciprocation according to'the movement of the material along said predetermined path.

10. A conveyer system, comprising means for moving material in a predetermined path, a gate member reciprocable perpendicularly across and from the path, means permitting said gate member to be moved from said path by engagement with the moving material thereon, and independent means for positively reciprocating said gate.

11. A conveyer system, comprising means for movmg material in a predetermined path,'a gate member reciprocable perpendicularly across and from the path, means permitting said gate member to be moved from said path by engagement with the moving n'iaterial'thereon, and independent means for positively reciprocating said gate, and means governing the positive recipr0- cation thereof, according to the movement of the material along the predetermined path.

12. A conveyer system, comprising means for moving material in a predetermined horizontal path, a gate member vertically reciprocable perpendicularly across sai path, means permitting said gate member to be lifted from said path by suitable engagement With the moving material-thereon, and means for positively reciprocating said member independently of said material.

13. A conveyer system, comprising means formoving material in a predetermined horizontal path, a gate member vertically reciprocable perpendicularly across said path, means permitting said gate member to be lifted from said path by suitable engagement with the moving material thereon, means for positively reciprocating said member independently of said material, and means governing said reciprocating means in step with the means for moving material along said path.

THOMAS SEYMOUR KNAP. 

